


Nothing Changes

by TheRookBook



Category: The Rookie (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:54:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23022820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRookBook/pseuds/TheRookBook
Summary: Nothing really stays the same.*Yes, I know that Harper wasn’t there at the beginning, but I simply did not want to change it.*
Relationships: Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen
Comments: 2
Kudos: 94





	Nothing Changes

Lucy was halfway through the academy when she met him at a bar. She needed to relax and destress after a big test that they took that day. He was sitting alone at the bar when she approached him. He tried to come off hard and gruff, but Lucy saw through that right away. He bought her a drink or two and the two talked for a couple of hours right there at the bar as others came and went. One thing led to another and before long they ended up at his place for the night.  
  
Usually, Lucy wasn’t one to do one-night stands, but something about this guy felt different. After a couple of days, he called her and asked her to dinner. Then it continued. Every couple of days they would get together for drinks or dinner and Lucy was slowly falling for the stranger she met at the bar.

\----  
Tim had just got off shift when her name pops up on his phone. “Stevie’s? 20 minutes,” the text read. Of course, he agreed. He needed to enjoy someone else’s company for a while.  
  
When Tim arrived, the first thing he noticed was that Lucy was already sitting with two other guys. One was around her age and the other was nearly old enough to be her father. He felt his temperature rise as he approached them. He felt like he had a green-eyed monster sitting on his shoulder.  
  
“Oh, good you’re here,” she cheered once she saw him making his way through the crowd. He gave him a quick peck on the cheek before turning back to the others.  
  
“ _A little late it seems_ ,” he said eyeing the other’s that sat at the booth with Lucy.  
  
“Tim, these are my friends Jackson and John. We’re celebrating,” she said raising a shot and quickly drowning it.  
  
“ _What are we celebrating_?”  
  
“Tomorrow,” Lucy cheered.  
  
“ _Tomorrow_ ,” Tim questioned confused.  
  
“Tomorrow!” The group cheered together before taking a shot.  
  
“ _What’s tomorrow_ ,” he asked Lucy.  
  
“The first day of the rest of our lives.”  
  
Tim was still confused, but he let Lucy enjoy herself. He nursed a bottle of beer as he watched the trio take a couple more shots and giggle. Before too much longer, Tim decided it was time to cut her off. If she wanted to be able to function tomorrow for her ‘big day’ then it was time she stopped drinking.  
  
“ _Alright, let’s go_ ,” he said grabbing her hand. “ _Thanks for keeping her safe, guys. Good luck with whatever it is you’re doing tomorrow_ ,” he told Jackson and John. Tim led her out of the bar after paying her tab. He couldn’t have her getting arrested, but he did think of a couple of ways they couple use his cuffs sometime down the road.  
  
“You’re place or mine,” she asks putting her arms around his neck. She stood on her toes to place a kiss on his lips.  
  
Tim shook his head. “ _Lucy, you need to sleep. Big day tomorrow. Remember_?”  
  
“I’m fine,” she persisted. “Seriously, well maybe not enough to drive but I’m not drunk, Tim. I know my limits. Just a couple of drinks to celebrate that’s all. So, your place or mine,” she asked him lowly.  
  
They ended up at Lucy’s that night. It was around one in the morning when they finally wore themselves out enough. Tim had Lucy curled into his body as they finally fell asleep in her bed.  
\--  
Tim was the first to wake up. The early morning sun shining through the curtain covering her window. He looks down and smiles at Lucy still curled into him, content and asleep. He leaned over her to take a look at the alarm clock. ‘7:53’ was illuminated in big green blocks. He laid back down beside her. He still had a couple hours before he needed to head to the station.  
  
“What time is it,” she groaned her eyes still closed as she trying to get as close to his warmth as possible.  
  
A grin crossed his face. “ _A little before 8. Head hurt_?”  
  
Lucy nodded against his chest. “I might have drunk a little more than I thought.”  
  
“ _You’re welcome_ ,” he quipped.  
  
“Oh, thank you. My knight in shining armor. What would I ever do with you,” she teased leaning over to kiss him.  
  
“ _Guess we’ll never know_ ,” he said after she pulled away. “ _But I need you to brush your teeth_ ,” he teased rolling away from her and out of the bed.  
  
“Seriously? Is that how you sweet talk a girl in the morning? Guess my breath is so bad won’t be joining me in the shower,” she says rolling off the other side of the bed and heading towards her bathroom.  
  
“ _Well it’s not that bad actually_ ,” he says causing her to laugh as he follows after her quickly.  
  
Tim had to leave her apartment not long after they got out of the shower. The water had turned cold a long before they were through, but neither minded. He had to get caught up on something at work, so he had to get there a little bit earlier than everyone else. He offered to give her a ride to her car, but Lucy declined saying she’d just call an Uber. He gave her one last kiss before he left the apartment.  
  
Lucy slipped on a pair of skinny jeans and a shirt. She would change into her uniform once she got to the station. The Uber dropped her off at her car outside Stevie’s. Lucy starter her old but classic car and headed towards the Mid-Wilshire police station. Lucy, John, and Jackson all got assigned to the same precinct which was good because they all had grown close during their time at the academy.  
  
She was nearly two blocks away when her car died in the middle of the street. Maybe Tim was right, it was time she got a new car after all. When she finally arrived at the station, she had to run to the locker room and change.  
  
She changed in just enough time to meet up with Jackson and John before roll call. “You know that guy from the bar last night,” Jackson asked Lucy as they walked into the meeting room.  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
"I think I just saw him in the locker room."  
  
“Huh? No,” she laughed. “There’s no way. He said he works in an office somewhere in the city.”  
  
“Alright, if you say so,” Jackson replies as the trio sits in the front of the room.  
\----  
Tim saw her when she walked into the room. He pinched the bridge of his nose looking down. She was a rookie. He just had to hope that she wasn’t assigned to be his rookie. Being a TO was one of the best parts of his job. He got to train new blood and to keep the integrity of the LAPD intact. Some wrote him off as being too harsh on the rookies, but he only wanted them to be good cops. Not slugs that just road the streets too afraid to do a little police work every now and then.  
  
Sergeant Grey walked in breaking Tim out of his thoughts. He just hoped. He prayed that Lucy wasn’t going to be his rookie. “Good morning ladies and gentleman, we got some new blood with us this morning. Time to play a little TO roulette,” Grey said looking up from the rookies to the officers in the room. His eyes scanned the room for a minute before he cracked a smile. Lopez, you get the legacy. Harper, you get the rookie pushing the expiration date,” Grey teased causing the room to laugh. He paused for a second looking around the room before his eyes landed on Tim. “Officer Bradford, you get the hotshot. Stay safe out there.”  
  
Lucy looked back when Grey said who her TO was going to be. She felt the color drain from her face when she met Tim’s eyes. He was already staring holes through her, never blinking as he stared.  
  
Everyone else had already left the room when Tim finally stood to his feet and walked over to Lucy, who was still sitting at her table. “ _Come on boot. We need to talk to Grey_.”  
  
“What? Why,” she asks standing to her feet.  
  
“ _TOs and rookies can’t be involved. So we’re going to get you a new TO before you have to start your training over._ ”  
  
“We don’t have to tell anyone,” she tried to reason with him, but Tim kept walking towards the door.  
  
“ _You’re friends already know. Let’s go_.”  
  
“Tim,” she called causing him to stop just before he opened the door to leave. “Officer Bradford,” she corrected. “I will talk to Nolan and West; they won’t be a problem. Don’t tell Grey. Please,” she pleaded. “I heard stories about you in the academy. They said you were one of the best TOs out there. Your rookies are some of the best-prepared officers when they get off probation. I didn’t know it was you until five minutes ago or I would have told you earlier. Please don’t tell Grey.”  
  
Tim stood at the door for a long minute mulling over the idea of telling Grey and getting Lucy a new TO, but ultimately, he turned back towards her. “ _I’m not going to be any easier on you than any other rookie. Do you understand? At work, it’s not Tim. It’s Officer Bradford or Sir. Clear? I don’t have time to play politics around this. Do you understand that?”_  
  
“Yes, sir.”  
  
 _“Good, boot. We’re late. Let’s go_.”  
\--  
It was hours after their shift had ended and the trio had found themselves in Lucy’s apartment. Tim wasn’t lying. He didn’t go easy on her. He made her run after a fleeing suspect when she didn’t know what street they were on he made her walk outside the vehicle until she could tell him where they were.  
  
“I can’t believe it. I can’t believe he didn’t tell Grey. Lopez said that Bradford pretty much follows the rules. He never breaks them just bends them. She felt sorry for you.”  
  
“I swear if either of you says anything about us to Harper, Lopez, or anyone, we’ll be in so much red tape. Please for the love of all things, keep your mouths shut and don’t say a word,” she pleaded with her counterparts.  
  
“Yeah. Yeah. No problem,” Nolan replied quickly.  
  
“Absolutely,” Jackson replied nodding his head.  
  
“God, I feel like such an idiot,” she huffed as she stood up from the couch and headed towards the kitchen. “How did I not notice?”  
Lucy had just refilled her wine glass when there was a knock at the door. “What now,” she groaned as she threw the door open to reveal Tim standing there with his hands in his pockets.  
  
“And that’s my sign to leave,” Nolan says standing to his feet. He gives Tim and Lucy a nervous smile as he walks passed the couple and out the door.  
  
“Yeah, I’m going to head out too,” Jackson said standing to follow after Nolan. “Goodluck,” he whispers to Lucy giving her a quick hug before leaving.  
  
“ _Can I come in_ ,” Tim asks once the other had left the hallway.  
  
Lucy waved her hand motioning for him to enter the apartment. This morning it was so different between them and not she didn’t know if there would be a them. “ _So_ ,” he starts.  
  
“So, what Tim? Or should I say, Officer Bradford? So what?”  
  
“ _I knew this was a bad idea_ ,” he defended, “ _This is why I wanted to tell Grey._ ”  
  
“I looked over the rule book,” she says putting her glass down on the counter. “There is nothing in there about TOs and rookies having a relationship.”  
  
“ _There isn’t a written rule Lucy, but it’s known. I’m supposed to be able to evaluate you without bias. I can’t separate work from home with you_.”  
  
Lucy turned and walked away from him. “Why did you say you worked in an office? Huh? This whole thing could have been avoided if you would have just told me the truth,” she stated from across the room.  
  
“ _My shop is my office. I spend more time there than at the station. You could have told me you were in the academy, that way I could have talked to Grey.”_  
  
“Why so you could have shut me out from the start?”  
  
“ _Lucy_ ,” he huffs walking across the room until he was in front of her. He takes a deep breath before he looks down at her. “ _If we’re going to do this then we need some ground rules. First, work stays at work. Nothing said will be brought home. Secondly, we’re going to treat each other like every other rookie I have trained. No special favors or easing up. Third, if anything, I mean anything goes sideways on the job, you go get the suspect and then come back for me. We can’t stop doing our job just because the other is hurt. Do you understand?”_  
  
“Tim-,” she starts but he cuts her off.  
  
“ _I’m not done. We’re going to keep things professional at work. No slip-ups. Once someone catches wind, it's over. If at any time you feel like you can’t keep this going, you tell me and we’re telling Grey. Consequences be damned_.”  
  
Lucy stands there for a minute trying to mull over everything he had said. “I think you need to go,” she tells him softly. Her tearful brown eyes meeting his deep blue ones.  
  
“ _Lucy-_ ”  
  
She shakes her head. “I need time to think and I can’t do that when you’re here.” She starts to turn away from him when he reaches out for her. It had been the first time he actually touched her since this morning. He holds her close to him and her hand rests on his chest. “Go home Tim,” she says softly patting his chest. Maybe if she says it enough then she’ll convince herself to let him stay. Lucy turns away from him and goes to her room leaving him standing alone in the living room.  
  
Tim shakes his head closing his eyes. He would do as she said and go home. They both needed time to think about what they wanted and what they were willing to sacrifice to make it happen. They say to follow your heart and you’ll always find a way, but how can one follow their heart when it’s crumbling to pieces around them.


End file.
